'I Live Alone,' Production Apologizes…"Impromptu Trip Caused Misunderstanding"

[Dispatch=Lee Myung-joo Reporter] The production team of MBC-TV's "I Live Alone" has issued a statement regarding broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo's "spontaneous trip" to Kazakhstan.

The "I Live Alone" team posted a notice on September 4th under the "Announcements" section of its website titled "Hello. This is the MBC 'I Live Alone' Production Team."

The team apologized regarding the Jeon Hyun-moo Kazakhstan episode. "We apologize with bowed heads for being late in providing a detailed statement," the team said.

The team explained, "Given the nature of a reality program, we were concerned that sharing detailed production processes might compromise authenticity and hinder viewer immersion."

Regarding the broadcast from the 18th of last month when the manipulation controversy emerged, the team noted that "it was an approach in which the production staff followed Jeon Hyun-moo's everyday life as he enjoyed a spontaneous trip."

From Jeon Hyun-moo's perspective, it was referred to as a "spontaneous trip" when he embarked on the trip on impulse. However, the production staff separately prepared for the possibility of overseas filming.

Kazakhstan in particular was a travel destination that Jeon Hyun-moo had shown interest in previously. Accordingly, staff airline tickets were booked in advance and local filming cooperation was secured.

The production team added, "We planned to naturally capture situations such as selecting a different destination or being unable to obtain airline tickets for Kazakhstan."

In fact, Jeon Hyun-moo booked his Kazakhstan airline ticket at the venue. However, the term "spontaneous trip" caused misunderstanding among viewers.

The team also clarified regarding support from the Almaty City Tourism Board. The claim of "no support" refers to the absence of financial sponsorship or production cost support.

The production team stated, "We provide supplementary explanation as it could be understood to mean that there was absolutely no administrative or filming cooperation from local authorities. We apologize for the confusion."

Regarding the use of a rental car, the team said, "After making a reservation, Jeon Hyun-moo submitted copies of his passport and international driver's license to the rental car company according to their guidance and received the vehicle."

The team apologized, stating, "We later realized that to rent a vehicle in Kazakhstan, certification from the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Korea is required."

Previously, "I Live Alone" aired a scene in which Jeon Hyun-moo embarked on a spontaneous one-night, two-day trip to Kazakhstan. After arriving locally, he rented a vehicle himself.

However, questions were raised among viewers with experience traveling locally. Suspicion of manipulation arose from the scene of renting a vehicle just 40 minutes after arriving at the airport.

The production team said, "It is an important value to convey the daily lives of cast members sincerely," while adding, "We caused misunderstanding and confusion by not explaining the filming process."

Finally, the team apologized again, saying, "We sincerely apologize for our insufficient response. We will return to our original intention and produce broadcasts with care."